Gaspari: Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent (1990) is a crime drama that depicts the investigation of Carolyn Polhemus' murder. Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is followed through his routine as a prosecutor, and we quickly discover that he is involved in an affair with Polhemus. Through this scandalous entanglement, Sabich soon becomes the lead suspect in the murder case, although there is a clear cover up by another insider.
         Rusty is "presumed innocent" because there is no definite motive or proof that he has murdered Polhemus, but as the film progresses Sabich makes many mistakes that cause him to be perceived as guilty. Rusty lies about his whereabouts, has hidden his affair with Polhemus and he makes note of making a huge mistake in telling his lawyer that he is innocent. This creates an interesting and unique setting for Harrison Ford in a dramatic setting, he is placed in a situation of doubt as he cannot be proven guilty indefinitely, but he still risks the chance of going down as the perpetrator of the crime. The audience sees Rusty as innocent, but the issue comes from how the other characters view him.      "[it is] a story about the justice system and the irony of a man of presumably high morality being victimized by the very system he has served so diligently for so many years" (Pfeiffer, 184).  

Unlike many other films starring Harrison Ford, there are very few action sequences, this film however is more contemplative. The audience wants to see who is the murderer and have Rusty cleared of guilt, and while the case is dismissed, the bloody hammer we see and the ditched fingerprint evidence only makes the tip off more complex. For a moment the audience is unsure until the reveal that Rusty's wife is the murderer. In the end though, there is a overarching sense of corruption throughout the entire justice system as Rusty will never reveal the true murderer's identity.